H.E. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet meeting this afternoon through video conference technology.

Following the meeting, HE Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi issued the following statement:

At the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet heard the explanation given by HE the Minister of Public Health on the latest developments to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Cabinet affirmed the continuation of the precautionary measures taken to combat this epidemic, and to complement the decisions and actions previously taken, the Cabinet decided the following:

Reducing the number of employees present at the workplace in government agencies

Extending the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers issued at its regular meeting (12) for the year 2020, held on 18/03/2020, according to which it was decided, among other things, to reduce the number of employees present at the workplace in government agencies.

80% of private-sector employees must work from home, rest for six working hours per day

• Reducing the number of workers present in the workplace in the private sector to 20 percent of the total number of workers in each agency, and 80 percent of the rest of the workers start their work remotely from their homes.
  

• The working hours for employees and workers at their workplace in the government and private sectors will be six working hours per day, starting from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon.
• The stores of foodstuffs, pharmacies, and restaurants working on deliveries are excluded from the application of this decision. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in coordination with the concerned authorities, shall determine the other necessary activities exempted from this decision.

Meeting rules

All meetings held for employees and workers in the government and private sectors shall be by distance using modern technical means, and in the event that this is not possible, and in cases of necessity, the meeting shall be held by no more than (5) persons, taking into account the prevention measures determined by the Ministry of Public Health.

Temporary suspensions of home services

Stopping the temporary home services system provided by cleaning, catering, and other hospitality companies.

Reducing the number of workers who are transported by buses

Reducing the number of workers who are transported by buses to half the capacity of the bus, taking into account the precautionary measures.

Intensifying inspection procedures for food outlets

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry continues to intensify inspection procedures for food outlets to ensure their compliance with health requirements and preventive and precautionary measures, including leaving a distance between shoppers.

The decisions exclude:

The military sector, the security sector, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions employees, the health sector, oil and gas sector, employees of government agencies whose nature of their work requires their presence, workers in major projects.

When will the decision be effective?

These decisions are effective from Thursday 2/4/2020, for a period of two weeks. During this period, the situation will be evaluated to take the appropriate decision.

Other decisions

The competent authorities - each within its competence - take the necessary measures to implement these decisions. After that, the Cabinet considered the topics on the agenda as follows:

First - approval of:

A - A draft decision of the Minister of Commerce and Industry on terms and conditions of registration in the list of major suppliers, and the list of registered merchants dealing in strategic commodities.

B - A draft decision of the Minister of Commerce and Industry to define the list of strategic commodities.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has prepared the two projects referred to in the framework of issuing the necessary decisions to activate the provisions of Decree Law No. (24) for the year 2019 to organize and manage the strategic stock of food and consumer goods.

Second - The Cabinet reviewed the following two topics and took the appropriate decision:

1 - The study prepared by the Permanent Population Committee regarding a report on the state of the population of the State of Qatar 2019, in the light of the observations made on that report.

2 - A letter by HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry on the results of the fifth session of the Qatari-Kazakh Joint Higher Committee.

(Source: QNA)

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Khadiza Begum

Content Writer

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